Has this weather been great or what? It’s the first big sunny summer weekend we’ve had and I bet most of you spent at least part of it on a bike.

In and around Portland, the streets are filled with people on bikes. Yesterday (Saturday) alone there was a big criterium race in northwest, a naked ride, a “Splash Dance” fountain ride, and I bet some of you even biked down to enjoy the Waterfront Blues Fest. Today, a large delegation from Copenhagen (here on a research visit) took a bike infrastructure tour.

Upcycles co-owner Kai Druzdezel.

Juli, Everett (my 16-month old son) and I rode out to Janzten Beach yesterday to run some errands. We ended up taking the long way through the Columbia Slough path so we could watch some auto racing at PIR. We came home through the Woodlawn neighborhood where I popped in to say hi to the guys at Upcycles bike shop. Then later, I enjoyed a nice ride from north Portland to the base of Mt. Tabor (around SE Stark and 62nd) to meet the folks from Copenhagen at a backyard dinner. I loved using the neighborhood greenway network to get me there (NE Holman, NE 37th, 53rd) and the ride home in the warm night air was sublime.

How about you? I know some of you have taken awesome bike rides and adventures this weekend. Share in the comments!

Three of us headed down highway 26 to Timothy Lake and did the 15-mile ride around the lake, including a cool splash in the water near the end. Sometimes, I think I could spend the whole summer doing trails rides around lakes and skinny dipping afterwards. :-)

Friday I trucked around St. Johns on my own, never been, no real reason why not, but had a blast biking through Peir Park and Cathedral Park. Saturday was Tour De Clack and it was awesome! 32 miles. Learned about the watershed and conservation efforts. What a great day for a ride and Clackamas county is quite lovely.

My best friend and I did Tour de Clack, too – what a BEAUTIFUL ride! Well-organized, well-marked, and well-doughnuted (thanks, Voodoo!). I was really impressed by the “Shade our Streams” project that we stopped at.

I did larch yesterday too! Left early to beat the heat. Was perfect going up there, but the return across the hot tarmac of Portland to my house in Brooklyn was not quite as enjoyable. A beer at Velo Cult helped a bit though!

59 people showed up for the 1st annual Tour de Clack bike ride put on by CRBC (Clackamas River Basin Council) and enjoyed coffee, donuts, fruit, an amazing view of Mount Hood, and the beautiful Clackamas farmland, plus a few views of the river and its tributaries. CRBC volunteers and allied groups manned 4 rest stops providing water and told riders about various projects that are helping restore the Clackamas and create better opportunities for the wildlife which depends on it.

Clackamas River water also supplies tens of thousands of customers in the greater Portland area, so some non-wild life also relies on it.

The Portland experience and history with bicycling is different from that of Copenhagen. If other, more auto-oriented cities are going to become more bike-friendly, I wonder if there really is something to be learned about how Portland has gotten to where it is today.

Biked from Roseway to Gresham City Park on the 205 and Springwater for a nice little picnic. Found the perfect spot for bike-watching; saw everything from teeny-tiny bikeys, hand-cycles and even a tandem recumbent ridden by an elderly couple, the gentleman sporting an epic white beard. Got a bit overheated on the return trip (4 p.m., sun beating down, 90 degrees) so bused it part way back, but all in all, awesome ride!

We went for out longest ride yet, 50 miles with both kids in the bike trailer. I was aiming for 62.5 (100 km), but the kids needed to get out and play. We took the 205 path and marine drive to Blue Lake regional park (free if you arrive on bike) and the kids played in the water splash area for a couple hours, then had lunch in Fairview, headed down the Fairview/Gresham path to the Springwater, and came all the way back to Grant Park to play some more at the playground and fountain there, before a final 10 mile loop thru N and NE portland before dinner.

We saw a couple of other families with preschoolers at Blue Lake park who arrived by bike. I had been worried about the couple of miles of riding on the shoulder of Marine drive, but it was fine.

In my country the weather is warm since the beginning of June so I am cycling regularly. Recently I made a little trip across some Bulgarian villages – around 30 miles. Very hilly route but the coming back was pleasant and fast :)